


Still Here

by porple_snorkle



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Season/Series 03, Stranger Things Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 15:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19907662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porple_snorkle/pseuds/porple_snorkle
Summary: A concerned home-alone reader calls their friend, Steve Harrington when they get a little freaked out. Little do they know, they had good reason to be afraid.Takes place around season 3 (SPOILERS I guess), not going to be very long. Enjoy :)





	Still Here

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've ever posted so, enjoy! Let me know if you like it, or if you don't. I'm always looking to improve so please let me know if I've made any errors.
> 
> Billy is attempting to recruit the reader to the Mind Flayer's army. Beware! Strange things are happening!

Apart from you, your house was completely empty. Being at home alone at night wasn’t unusual for you, but someone knocking on the door after eleven was. Your parents were gone on one of their frequent business trips, and after returning home from your shift at the mall, you had made yourself a quick microwave dinner and relaxed on the couch.  
The knock on the door startled you, but this was Hawkins, and you weren’t terribly concerned for your safety. At least, you weren’t until you peeked through the curtain to see who was there. It was Billy Hargrove, a classmate of yours, but he didn’t look well. He was sweating excessively, way more than what was normal for the regular summer heat. He was also pacing back and forth on your front stoop. You decided not to answer.  
You expected him to leave after a few minutes, but he continued knocking. After about five more knocks, you realized he wasn’t going to give up until he got a response.  
“…Hello?” You spoke tentatively through the still-closed door.  
Billy’s voice sounded surprisingly normal, innocent even. It was a stark contrast to what you had just seen through the window. “Hey there, Y/N. It’s Billy Hargrove. From school? I, uh, was just driving past your house and I think somebody may have hit your mailbox.” His tone sounded genuine.  
You peeked through the window once more to see if you could spot your mailbox, but it was too dark to confirm Billy’s story. If anyone else had been home, or perhaps if it was light outside, you wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but something was telling you not to open that door.  
“Uh, thanks, Billy. I’ll check it out in the morning.” You desperately wanted him to leave.  
“Are you sure about that? I could probably help you prop it back up.” Billy replied, as charming as ever.  
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll have my dad look at it tomorrow.” You wanted to hint that your parents were home, even though that couldn’t have been further from the truth. They were off in Seattle, discussing stocks with a bunch of huge companies or something like that. Many of your friends at school knew that your parents often left for days at a time, and you wondered if Billy knew as well. You prayed that he didn’t.  
At the mention of your dad, Billy paused for a second before responding. “Alright then.” He sounded a bit agitated this time, and for a moment, you were worried he wasn’t going to leave. But then he turned and started walking down the driveway towards his car. You let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding.  
“Thank god,” You muttered to yourself, before retreating into your bedroom. You changed into your pajamas and brushed your teeth, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching you. The whole Billy incident had somehow made your desolate house feel even more empty. You decided that you needed to keep yourself busy.  
Knowing that he’d be your only friend up at this hour, or at least the only friend whose parents wouldn’t kill him if the phone rang near midnight, you called Steve Harrington.  
“Hello?” He answered.  
You were thankful it was him and not either of his parents. “Hey Steve.”  
“Y/N, what’s up?” Hearing a familiar voice was already calming you down greatly.  
You laid on your back on your bed, with the phone cord barely stretching far enough to reach your ear. “Something kind of weird just happened, and I’m home alone, and… I don’t know. I got pretty freaked out and I just needed to hear someone else’s voice.”  
You expected Steve to crack a joke about being afraid of ghosts or something, but instead he seemed genuinely concerned. “Oh, what happened? Your parents are on another business trip?”  
“Yeah, and at, like, 11:30, Billy Hargrove showed up at my door and told me someone hit my mailbox with their car. I know that doesn’t sound that strange, but it’s really late, and he seemed like he just really wanted me to open the door.”  
“What? That’s so weird. I’d be freaked out too.” Steve responded. “But he left, right?”  
“Yeah, he did. I saw him walking back to his car” You paused. Talking about Billy only reminded you that you would have no chance against him in a fight. You wanted to change the subject. “Ugh, it’s too hot to exist in my house right now. When is summer over?”  
Steve chuckled. “I know. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d kill to be in the Scoops Ahoy freezer right now.”  
“Oh, that reminds me, are you working tomorrow?” You worked at the candy store across the mall from Steve and your other friend, Robin. The three of you liked to exchange funny looks and gestures on the less busy days, or when customers weren’t looking.  
“Yeah, you?” Steve said.  
“Yup. I guess I’ll see you there, Harrington.” You said, smiling at the idea of joking around with the Scoops Troop tomorrow. “You know what? My parents have a window air-conditioner in their room. Maybe I’ll sleep in there tonight.” You posited.  
“Aw, man I’m so jealous right now, Y/N. Maybe the next time your parents are gone, you can share some of that AC with me?” Steve asked.  
“Hm… what would you give me in exchange? Cold air comes at a high price.” You teased. Nothing would make you happier than an air-conditioned summer sleepover with Steve Harrington.  
As you joked, you made you way over to your parents’ room to turn on the AC. You hoped to cool the room down before going to bed.  
“How about a free sundae?” Steve asked.  
“I don’t know. I think you can do better than that.” You taunted.  
“Free ice cream… for a week?”  
“I was thinking for life, Harri-” You dropped off mid-sentence as you glanced out the front window. What you saw stopped you dead in your tracks.  
“For life, Y/N? That’s a pretty high price.” Steve continued on the other line.  
“Steve,” you breathed, barely able to get the words out.  
“I just don’t know if I can-” He kept joking but you cut him off.  
“STEVE.”  
“What? What’s wrong?” He asked, immediately concerned by the tone of your voice.  
“It’s still here.” You said.  
“What is?” Steve sounded confused.  
“His car. Billy’s car is still here.” You felt like your heart was in your throat. You were paralyzed by fear. All you could do was stare at the vehicle. “and Billy’s not in it.”


End file.
